Israel has declared that stopping Hezbollah's attacks in the north to allow residents to return is now an official war goal. The country is considering a wider military operation that could lead to a full-scale conflict. Israel has threatened to take heavier military action to halt the near-daily attacks, which began after the outbreak of the war between Israel and Hamas in Gaza. The tit-for-tat strikes have displaced tens of thousands of people on both sides of the border. The United States has urged restraint and warned that a wider war would not achieve its goals.